I know it's been confirmed but didn't Kostitsyn NOT sign a lockout contract and an actual contract in the KHL instead, meaning he couldn't return until next year if he wanted to? Unless he had some sort of NHL out clause. Did his KHL team release him? Anyone know about this?

I know it's been confirmed but didn't Kostitsyn NOT sign a lockout contract and an actual contract in the KHL instead, meaning he couldn't return until next year if he wanted to? Unless he had some sort of NHL out clause. Did his KHL team release him? Anyone know about this?

Yeah I'd like to know that too. Even if he had an NHL out clause, you wouldnt think he would take that unless he was getting an actual NHL contract, not a training camp invite.

I know it's been confirmed but didn't Kostitsyn NOT sign a lockout contract and an actual contract in the KHL instead, meaning he couldn't return until next year if he wanted to? Unless he had some sort of NHL out clause. Did his KHL team release him? Anyone know about this?

I wondered the exact same thing, there must be something that says he can come back obviously. Unless Tallon doesn't know that as well (which I highly doubt he doesn't). I thought AK didn't want to come back to the NHL though?

I wondered the exact same thing, there must be something that says he can come back obviously. Unless Tallon doesn't know that as well (which I highly doubt he doesn't). I thought AK didn't want to come back to the NHL though?

It's actually Sergei who said something about not coming back to NA. I know that AK said he never wanted to leave Montreal in the first place last season.

None of those guys will play for the Habs, fwiw. Corbin is a rookie FA, just a prospect pickup, nowhere near ready. Chaput has been decent called up for checking from the ECHL, but isn't on the NHL radar at all. Stortini has been awful, a complete liability even at the AHL level. Commodore was what the Hamilton Bulldogs needed as a veteran presence on an otherwise ridiculously inexperienced AHL defense, but the Habs have 9 other guys ahead of him on the depth chart (Subban, Gorges, Markov, Kaberle, Emelin, Diaz, Weber, Bouillon at the NHL level, then St-Denis as the better player in Hamilton).

None of those guys will play for the Habs, fwiw. Corbin is a rookie FA, just a prospect pickup, nowhere near ready. Chaput has been decent called up for checking from the ECHL, but isn't on the NHL radar at all. Stortini has been awful, a complete liability even at the AHL level. Commodore was what the Hamilton Bulldogs needed as a veteran presence on an otherwise ridiculously inexperienced AHL defense, but the Habs have 9 other guys ahead of him on the depth chart (Subban, Gorges, Markov, Kaberle, Emelin, Diaz, Weber, Bouillon at the NHL level, then St-Denis as the better player in Hamilton).

6 of those 9 guys are puck movers first. Commodore is probably better than Bouillon.

St-Denis looked great last year, but now he seems to not be playing as often.

Sergei Mozyakin of Metallurg should come over, he's at the top of KHL scoring with the rest of the NHL stars. Albeit he's playing with Malkin as far as I can tell, but in years prior he still had impressive numbers.

I'm not 100% certain, but I think Mozyakin's rights may still be held by Columbus. He was drafted under the old overage European rules, so I think he's still on the list as well as a couple of other guys (Dmitri Subbotin and Sergei Luchinkin).

6 of those 9 guys are puck movers first. Commodore is probably better than Bouillon.

St-Denis looked great last year, but now he seems to not be playing as often.

Commodore has a slight chance.

I personally disagree. But we'll see. Commodore may have been promised a chance in camp as a condition of signing on with Hamilton, but I don't see him playing with the Habs. Well, if you get injuries, and those are actually pretty likely in the modern NHL, likelier still in a condensed schedule, likelier even more with some of our personnel... then yeah, even the 10th guy on your depth chart gets some time at some point. So maybe Commodore could get a call depending on what phase of the season they're in. He maybe has finally turned a bit of a corner in Hamilton lately to the point that his contribution is more than just "veteran leadership" now. But it's still the AHL. And he's still a good 3 years off from having shown an ability to keep up with the NHL. I'll be surprised if he plays for the Habs this year. "Shocked" if he makes the team out of camp.